How often do you refer a patient for a multiple cancer genome mutation panel test, such as 46-gene ion torrent cancer ampliseq check up?

Genetic counseling: I as internest I do not. With a strong family history of malignancy i offer counseling and testing through a geneticist were both the social implications and testing can be done based on patient informed consent.

Not in Peds Onc: This type of sequencing is not yet standard of care for pediatric oncology. I think we are moving toward this is the moderately near future. Though, we need better data as to how this mutational analysis can be best used clinically (either for risk stratification or drug choice).

Never : Outside of a clinical trial, never. We have no data to support using any of these results to make treatment decisions. It is always tempting to want to know more, and to extrapolate these answers into treatment decisions, but we are not there yet.

See below: Panel tests can be helpful in situations when standard therapeutic options are limited and the patients are in good performance status to be considered for a clinical trial. However, the best genomic screening in these situations is difficult to ascertain; suggest when you have a situation u are considering these tests, you should refer pt to an academic cancer center to discuss such testing.